As the I of a bluesC♭ major
The twelve-bar shape boiled down. The tonic is itself a dominant seventh, which is what makes it a blues.
C♭13 Chord: Guitar, Piano and Notes
The C♭13 chord is a dominant thirteenth chord built on the root note C♭. Its notes are C♭, E♭, B𝄫, D♭ and A♭. It's enharmonically the same chord as B13.
Transpose
Quality
Short answer
Dominant thirteenth chords are the fullest dominant sound in common use, a dominant seventh with a ninth and a thirteenth piled on top. The major sixth on top, sounding an octave up as the thirteenth, gives the chord a bright, open lid.
- Notes
- C♭ · E♭ · B𝄫 · D♭ · A♭
- Formula
- 1 · 3 · ♭7 · 9 · 13
- Semitones
- 0 · 4 · 10 · 14 · 21
- Note
- C♭
- Quality
- Dominant 13
- Symbol
- C♭13
C♭13 on piano
5 notesView:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
To play C♭13 on piano, place your right hand with your thumb on C♭, index finger on D♭, middle finger on E♭, ring finger on A♭ and little finger on B𝄫. Press the keys together and listen for an even sound. On the keyboard E♭, D♭ and A♭ are black keys and C♭ and B𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call B and A. Practice moving in and out of the chord slowly, then bring in a metronome.
- C♭1
- D♭9
- E♭3
- A♭13
- B𝄫♭7
C♭13 on guitar
View:
Switch to the interactive diagram to hear the chord, change voicing and swap finger numbers for note names.
On guitar, C♭13 is commonly played with the voicing shown above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 4. Don't play string 6.
C♭ · E♭ · B𝄫 · D♭ · A♭
Play C♭13 on the online piano
Free, in your browser: play with the mouse, your computer keyboard or a USB MIDI keyboard. No sign-up.
C♭13 chord notes
Also known as B13
| Degree | Interval | Semitones | Note | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Root | 0 | C♭(Cb) | |
| 3 | Major third | 4 | E♭(Eb) | |
| ♭7 | Minor seventh | 10 | B𝄫(Bbb) | |
| 9 | Major ninth | 14 | D♭(Db) | |
| 13 | Major thirteenth | 21 | A♭(Ab) |
How to use the C♭13 chord
The C♭13 chord is built from a root, a major third, a minor seventh, a major ninth and a major thirteenth. Start at the root C♭ and stack the intervals to get the whole chord: C♭, E♭, B𝄫, D♭ and A♭. The same formula gives you the chord in any other key.
Dominant thirteenth chords are the default rich dominant in jazz, gospel and R&B horn and keyboard voicings, usually the V7 resolving to a major or minor tonic. Big band charts lean on them wherever a plain dominant seventh would sound thin.
How C♭13 differs from similar chords
C♭13 tops the dominant family, with a thirteenth over C♭7 and C♭9. The thirteenth is the sixth an octave higher, and that is the line between it and C♭6: C♭13 also has the minor seventh, so it keeps the dominant pull. The fifth and the eleventh are left out so the voicing doesn't get muddy.
Where C♭13 is used
A dominant chord wants to resolve. Its home is the V of a major key - and the I of a blues, where the pull never lets up.
Questions people ask
- What notes are in the C♭13 chord?
- The C♭13 chord contains C♭, E♭, B𝄫, D♭ and A♭ (Cb, Eb, Bbb, Db and Ab in plain text).
- Is the C♭13 chord major or minor?
- C♭13 is a dominant thirteenth chord. Dominant thirteenth chords are the fullest dominant sound in common use, a dominant seventh with a ninth and a thirteenth piled on top. The major sixth on top, sounding an octave up as the thirteenth, gives the chord a bright, open lid.
- How do you play C♭13 on piano?
- Place your fingers on C♭, E♭, B𝄫, D♭ and A♭ and play them together. The root usually goes to the little finger of the left hand, the upper notes to the right. On the keyboard E♭, D♭ and A♭ are black keys and C♭ and B𝄫 are white, the keys you'd normally call B and A.
- How do you play C♭13 on guitar?
- Use the fingering in the diagram above. The fretted notes sit between frets 1 and 4. Don't play string 6.
- What is another name for the C♭13 chord?
- C♭13 is enharmonically equivalent to B13. Both chord names describe exactly the same notes, but the spelling depends on the key you are playing in.